To our readers:

The Hoya begins its new year on an unusual schedule. Just as its staffers are attending their last classes and studying for finals, they are also jumping into a new role at the paper — laying their first pages, editing their first stories and evaluating their first editorials. Throughout the spring semester, this group of 11 editors will repeat these tasks countless times, but this issue is special.

Hectic as it may be, with old editors hanging around and offering wisdom, new deputy editors and assistants taking part in their first production night and second-term editors observing the fray with some reservation, its timing also offers an opportunity to focus singularly on a new beginning at The Hoya while everything else on campus seems to be heading toward a conclusion.

This semester, we hope to continue to bring you strong coverage of Georgetown, D.C. and anything that affects our fellow students’ lives. We look forward to covering D.C.’s mayoral race along with Georgetown University Student Association elections, continuing to sharpen our business section, introduced by outgoing Editor-in-Chief Danny Funt (COL ’14) last semester and providing a platform for more columnists and viewpoint writers in our online opinion section, Chatter.

Spending so much time in this office, it’s easy to lose track of different student experiences at Georgetown. We are at our best when our readers challenge us, and I hope that you will continue to provide us with feedback, whether that comes in the form of criticism, news tips or ideas for what we could do better.

I’m sure the next semester will bring unexpected challenges and rewards, and I’m lucky enough to be heading into this term with a talented, resourceful and devoted group of editors. In our 93rd year, we will try our hardest to live up to the standards set by our predecessors — and this issue is our first step toward that goal.

Emma Hinchliffe (COL ’15)
Editor-in-Chief